Torque control drill feed



Nov. 14, 1933. A. E. WOOLLEN TORQUE CONTROL DRILL FEED Filed July 18, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 14, 1933. WOOLLEN 1,935,105

TORQUE CONTROL DRILL FEED Filed July 18, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheeb 2 Inventor 11 ltarney;

Nov. '14, 1 933. Q 1,935,105

TORQUE CONTROL DRILL FEED Filed July 18, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet s ln'ventar Altonwy-S Patented Nov. 14, 1933' UNITED STATES TORQUE oon'rnor. Drum. FEED Albert E. Woollen, Bakersfield, Calif., assignor to Standard Oil Company of California, San

Francisco, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Application July 18, 1931. Serial No. 551,673

- 9 Claims. (01. 255-19) This invention relates to rotary well drilling apparatus.

A primary object of. the invention is to automatically regulate the feed of a rotary drill in direct response to the reactive torque exerted on the drill by the formation being drilled.

Another object is to automatically regulate the feed of a rotary drill in which the source of motion is located in the well between the drill bit and'the drill pipe extending to the surface.

Another object is to. provide, in a drilling assembly having the prime mover located adjacent the bit, means forpermitting the drill pipe to ro-- tate slowly, thereby plastering the sides of the hole, and also facilitating the drilling of a straight hole. j

Still anothet object is to provide hydraulic means for automatically regulating the downward force exerted on the drill bit.

In rotary drilling, a cutting tool or bit is rotated against the formation being drilled. Rotary motion may be applied to the bit either from the surface or from a tubular shaped motor placed just above the bit. In either case, the bit is connected to surface apparatus by hollow pipe or tubing which serves to lift orlower the bit and to conduct flushing fluid thereto. Chiefly because of the great weight of the drill pipe, it is very difficult to so regulate the downward force on the drill bit that it will cut efiiciently without jamming or breaking. In accordancewiththis inven- I by hydraulic means in direct respmse t 12, the crown gear. 11 and pinion 10 to the hyturning resistance encountered by the drill bit.

An understanding of the operation of my sys-' tem can best be had from a detailed description with reference to the drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevational view, partly in section, showing one embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a detail drawing, showing a modification of part .bf the apparatus disclosed, in Fig. 1;

Figure 3 shows a third modification of the invention in which a'hyd'raulic jack operating directly on the drill pipe is utilized; and

Figure 4 shows a fourth modification of the invention, similar to that shownin Figure 3, util- A cable 4 which passes over crown wheels 2 and 3 at the top of' the derrick supports a drill bit 14, a prime mover 13, and the supporting pipe or. tubing 59. A square kelly 12 is attached to the top of tubing 59 and serves to transfer rotary motion. from the tubing 59 to a crown wheel 11, which motion is, in turn, transferred through a pinion 10 to a hydraulic pump 9. Pump 9 may be,of any known type, but is preferably of the type illustrated in detail in Fig. 4, which will be described later. Rotation of pump 9 supplies oil or other fluid under pressure'to a hydraulic cylinder 60 having a piston 61 attached to one end of the supporting cable 4 by a clamp 5. The other end of the supporting-cable, 4 is wound about the winch 6, driven by a chain '1 from a motor the well.

Inserted between the connecting tube 59 and the drill bit 14 is the prime mover 13 which rotates the bit 14 with respect to the tubing 59. Prime mover 13 may be of any known type, that is, it may be a hydraulic motor operated by fluid under pressure forced through the tubing 59, or it may be of any other known type, since its only function is to produce relative motion between the bit and the supporting tubing.

During operation, the rotating drill 14 encounters resistance from the formation 15 through which it is drilling. This resistance produces a. reactive. torque which tends to twist or rotate the frame of motor 13 and the tubing 59 in the direction-opposite to that in which the drill is turning. Any such motiorLof the motor 13 and connecting tubing 59 is transferred through the square kelly draulic pump 9, the latter turning in such a direction as to develop pressure in cylinder '60 on the upper side of piston 61. Under normal operating conditions the pressure developed on the upper side of piston 61 should exert just enough tension sometimes desirable, however, to have the drill pipe 59 rotating slowly at all times to plaster the sides of the drill hole and to facilitate the drilling of a straight hole. A by-pass valve 16 is, therefore, connected to the two ends of cylinder 60, permitting a controllable quantity of fluid to circulate constantly through the pump 9 without passing into cylinder 60. The provision of valve 16 is furthermore advantageous in that it provides for adjustment of the hoisting force developed in.

response to any desired reactive torque, thereby rendering the system more flexible. -Thus, as the well becomes deeper and additional sections of drill pipe 59 are added, the weight upon the drill 14 tends to increase; therefore, if the downward force acting on the drill is not to be increased,

through a variable speed transmission. This transmission may be of any known type, that illustrated being a frictional drive for permitting infinite variations between the speed of the crown wheel 11 and the pump 9. A flat friction disc 25 is secured to the shaft of the pinion 10. A splined shaft 20 is mounted parallel to the face of disc 25, and carries a friction wheel 21 which contacts with and is turned by disc 25. Wheel 21 slides along the splined shaft 20, and its speed of rotation relative to that of disc 25 may be varied between wide limits by shifting it up or down. Shaft 20 is supported in bearings 26. A handle 22, sliding on bar 24, serves to shift the friction wheel 21. The pump shown in Fig. 2 comprises a cylinder 30, containing a piston 29 and having in,

its head an inlet valve 32 and an outlet valve 31. These valves communicate with chambers which in turn are connected by pipes 17 and 18 to the two ends of cylinder 60 shown in Fig. 1.

When the variable transmission and pump, shown in Fig. 2 is inserted in the system of Fig. 1, the downward force supplied to drill 14 may be regulated either by varying the opening of valve 16 or by varying the position of wheel 21 with respect to disc 25 and either or both means may be used to compensate for the increasing weight of the drill pipe as the well deepens.

In the arrangement of Fig. 3, the hydraulic cylinder 60 of Fig. 1, has been dispensed with and cylinders 55 mounted on either side of the drill pipe 59 have been substituted therefor. In addition, a variable stroke pump has been substituted for the simple pump 9 of Fig. 1, or for a simple pump combined with a variable speed transmission system, as described in connection with Figs. 1 and 2. 3

The construction of the system of Fig. 3 will be apparent from a description of its operation, which follows: In normal operation the prime mover 13 in the bottom of the drill hole rotates the drill bit 14 and the reaction of the formation being drilled upon the drill bit produces a reverse rotation of the drill pipe 59. The motion is communicated through the square kelly 12 and gear 11 to a pinion 33. Pinion 33 in turn drives shaft 36 through a pair of bevel gears 34 and 35. Shaft 36 in turn rotates a crank gear 38 which has mounted tri thereon a connecting rod 1,935,105 permit the drill 14 to rotate freely will stop. It is 40. Connecting rod 40 reciprocates the piston 48 of a pump 9 through a variable stroke link mechanism 62 and connecting rod 47. The mechanism 62 comprises a member 44 mounted to rotate about a pivot 41 and having therein a longitudinal slot 45. A slide 46 is adapted to move within the slot 45 and its exact position may be regulated by control handle 43. In the position shown, maximum motion is transferred from rod 40 to rod 47 and the pump 9 will displace a maximum amount of fluid for a given speed of rotation of crank wheel 38. However, with this setting the pump will develop the minimum pressure with respect to a given torque applied from shaft 36. By shifting slide 46 toward pivot 41 the relative motion between rod 40 and rod 47 may be changed so that the volume of fluid pumped in response to a given rotated speed of gear 38 may be reduced to any desired value. At the same time, the force applied to rod 47 from rod 40 is increased so that a given torque applied to shaft 36 increases the maximum pressure that pump 9 can develop; Pump 9 comprising piston 48, inlet valve 50, outlet valve 51 and the corresponding inlet and outlet chambers, functions exactly as does the pump shown in Fig. 2. In this instance, however, the fluid under pressure is transferred through pipe 53 to the lower ends of two cylinders 55 so that pressure is exerted on the under sides of pistons 56, which are attached through piston rods 70 to a table -57,

which supports the drill pipe 59 by hearing against a collar 71 affixed to .the kelly 12. The inlet port of the cylinder 48 is connected through pipe 52 to the top of cylinders 55 so that the oil or other fluid used for operation of the system is transferred from one side of the pistons 56 to the other during operation, and is not lost.

In the operation of the system shown in Fig. 3, the downward pressure on the drill point may be regulated by manipulating the valve 54 as explained in connection with Fig. l, or by changing the stroke of the pump 48 through the link mechanism 62. As hereinbefore explained, it is sometimes desirable in practice to permit the drill pipe 59 to rotate slowly during normal drilling operaed for operation in my equipment. Thus, under certain circumstances, it may be desirable to utilize a reversible pump, that is, one capable of acting either as a pump or a hydraulic motor, and in Fig. 4 such a reversible pump is shown.

Referring to Fig. 4, all parts of the apparatus that correspond to those of Fig. 3 are identified by the same reference numerals, with the suflix a'added thereto. In this instance, the pump 9 comprises a cylindrical shell or case 87, within which is rotatably mounted a cylinder block 88 14,9

and an eccentric plate (sometimes called a swash plate) 72. Pistons 73 are mounted within cylinders 74, which are uniformly spaced about the axis of the cylinder block 88 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5. A piston rod 79 is attached to each piston at one end and is secured at the other end to the eccentric plate 72 by a ball and socket joint, as shown. Cylinder block 88 is mounted directly on shaft 36 so that it turns therewith. Eccentric plate 72 is also mounted to It is to be noted that handle '76 is not rigidly attached to eccentric plate 72', but insteadis attached to a guide plate "77 rotatably secured to the eccentric plate by flanges '78 on the guide plate 77. With the construction described, itwill be seen that when shaft 36 rotates, the eccentric plate '78, piston rods '79, pistons '73 and cylinder block 88 rotate therewith. If eccentric plate '72.

' is set by means of handle '76 and guide plate '77 handle '76 and guide plate '77 to a positionperpendicular toshaft 36 all'the pistons '73 will lie in mid-stroke position within their respective cylinders and will not move longitudinally withinthe cylinders as shaft 36 is rotated. It is apparent,

therefore, thatby shifting eccentric plate '78 by means of handle '76 the, efiective stroke of. the pump may be changed from zero to. maximum value.

The cylinders '74 are open at their left ends, as

shown in'Fig. 4, so that the pistons '13 work against the operating fluid only with their outer faces. To supply operating fluid to and from the cylinders '73, ports 80 are provided leading from the right end of each cylinder to the face 81 of the cylinder block. Face 81 fits against a face 82 in the cylindrical outer casing '70 and the contacting surfaces are groundto form a fluid-tight connection therebetween. Channels 83 and 84 are formed in the face of surface 82, as shown in Fig. 5, and are' connected-to the pipe lines 52 and 53 extending to the top and bottom, respectively,

- of the hydraulic jack cylinders Channels 83 and 84 are juxtaposed to the ports are leading from the inner ends of the cylinders '74. Therefore, all the cylinders on one side of a longitudinal vertical plane bisecting the case '70 are connected to passage 83, and those on the other side are connect (1 to channel 84. Furthermore, as already .pointe out, when eccentric plate '72 is set in pumpi position by handle '76, as shown in Fig. 4, and shaft 36 is rotated, all the pistons on one side of the longitudinal vertical plane are moving inwardly withrespect. to their associated cylinders, and all those pistons on the other side of the vertical plane are moving outward in their respectivecylinders. Therefore, when shaft 36 is rotated, fluid will be constantly withdrawn from passage 83 or 84 into half the cylinders and will be discharged from those cylinders intothe other passage 84 or 83 during the succeeding half revolution. I This pump is reversible and capable of acting as a hydraulic motor .during any phase of its operation, because it has a multiplicity. of cylinders, at least four of which are off dead center and, therefore, active at all times.- I The system; illustrated .in- Fig. 4 may be operated exactly as the system shown in Fig. 3, the pressure on the drill being regulated by varying the stroke of the pump (by shifting han e '76) or byvarying the opening of valve 54 to ermit a desiredamount of slippage past the pump.

The system of Fig. .4 has additional specific advantages over that shown in Fig. 3, in that it may be operated with valve 54 completely closed.

.Assuming that valve 54 is closed and that the drill 14 is being rotated by the motor 13, the reactive torque of the drill tends to rotate drill pipe 59 in reverse direction to that of the drill and then tends to'rotate the shaft 36 in such a direction as to exhaust fluidthrough pipe 52 and dis charge it through pipe 53, thus maintaining hydraulic pressure beneath the pistons 56 of the hydraulic jack 55. Assumingthat the setting of handle '76 is such that the pressure developed under pistons 56 is just suflicient to permit the optimum downward force on drill 14, drill pipe 59 stops rotating, which, of course, stops therotation of the shaft 36 and the operation of pump 9. As the bit 14 continues to cut away the formation 15, it tends to move downward, thus throwing more weight on the pistons 56,which increases the. pressure of the fluid in pipe 53.

When the pressure in pipe 53 increases, it drives the pump 9 as a hydraulic motor in the reverse direction, thus driving the drill pipe 59 in the same direction as the drill bit 14. This motion of the drill pipe 59 continues until suflicientfluid has passed from the lower sides of pistons 56 out through pump 9 (operating as a hydraulic motor) to lower the pistons 56, drill pipe 59 and drill bit 14 until the latter is again biting into the formation 15 and exerting sufficient reverse torque on the drill pipe 59 and shaft 36 to stop the reverse action of the pump 9. Assuming,

on the other hand, that drill bit 15 suddenly strikes an obstruction'that tends to jam the bit,

the resultant increased reactive torque on the drill pipe 59, immediately'starts the pump 9 to operating, thus forcing fluid into the lower parts of cylinders 55, and lifting the bit 14 until it turns freely.

It is to be noted that pump 9 in Fig.1 may be of the reversible adjustable stroke type just described and that the system of Fig. 1 may operate to produce an overall effect exactly similar to that of the apparatusshownin Fig. i. 125

I claim: t

l. In'rotary well drilling apparatus, a drill bit, a rotatable drill pipe for connecting said drill bit to the surface, a prime mover inserted between said drill bit and drill pipe for producing relative rotation therebetween, elevating means driven bysaid primemoverfor lifting said drill pipe. means connected to said drill pipe at the surface of the ground for resisting rotation thereof, said means functioning in response to torque in excess of a predetermined value to actuate said elevating means thereby lifting said drill bit whereby it turns more readily;

2. In well drilling apparatus, a drill bit, a drill rod, 9. source of rotary motion connecting said 140 drill bit and said drill rod for rotating said drill with respect to said rod, a hydraulic pump, a variable speed transmission for transferring rotary motion of said rod to actuate saidhydraulic pump,

hoisting means for moving said drill bit up or u down, and hydraulic jack means supplied with operating fluid under pressure by said hydraulic pump for actuating said hoisting means to lift said bit in response to rotation of said drill rod.

3. Inwell drilling apparatus, a drill bit, a drill 5 rod free to rotate in either direction, a source of rotary motion connecting said drill bit and said drill rod for rotating said drill bit with respect to said rod, a hydraulicpump, means responsive to rotary motion of said rod for operating said pump, hydraulic hoisting means for moving said drill bit up and down, a hydraulic connection for applying fluid under pressure from said pump to said hoist including a valve for by-passing fluid around said hydraulic hoisting means, whereby slippage occursbetween the motion of the hydraulic pump and the motion of said hydraulic hoisting means. 1

4. In well drilling apparatus, a drill bit, a drill rod, a source of rotary motion connecting said drill bit and said drill rod for rotating said drill drilling force on said drill bit, means comprising a cable and hydraulic jack for partially neutralizing the effect of said means, and hydraulic con-- nections between said pump and said jack whereby said neutralizing means functions in response to reactive torque on said drill bit.

6. In rotary well .drilling apparatus, adrill bit, and-a drill rod, motor means positioned in the well having two relatively rotating members one of which is connected to and rotates said bit,

and the other of which is connected to said drill rod, means for raising said bit and adjustable speed power transmission means for operatively connecting said drill rod to said bit raising means.

7. In rotary well drilling apparatus, a drill bit, a drill rod, an in-the-well motor inserted between said bit and rod, a plurality of cylinders positioned symmetrically about said drill rod above the well, pistons in said cylinders and a table attached to said pistons for vertically supporting said drill rod and bit, a variable stroke pump, means for'driving said pump in response to rotary motion of said drill rod, and connections whereby said pump supplies fiuid under pressure to said cylinders to raise the pistons.

8. lln well drilling apparatus, a drill bit, a drill rod, a source of rotary motion connecting said drill bit and said drill rod for rotating said drill with respect to said rod, a pump operatively connected to be driven by rotation of said rod, hoisting means for' moving said hit up or down, and

hydraulic jack means supplied with operating fluid under pressure by said hydraulic pump for actuating said hoisting means to lift said bit in- I response to rotation of said drill rod in one direction and to lower said bit in response to rotation of said drill rod in-the opposite direction.

9. In well drilling apparatus, a drill bit, a drill rod, a source of rotary motion connecting said drill bit and said drill rod for rotating said drill with respect to said rod, a reversible pump opera-i tively connected to be driven by rotation of said rod; hoisting means for moving said bit up or down, and hydraulic jack means supplied with operating fluid under pressure by said hydraulic pump for actuating said hoisting means to lift said bit in response torotation of said drill rod in one direction and to lower saidbit'in response to rotation of said drill rod in the opposite direction.

' ALBERT E. WOOIILEN. 

